Frightful October ’21 🎃 #06 ~ My Pen! (Zhi Zhuo)
Genre: Friendship, fluff, comedy, supernatural
Word Count: 2,677
Pairing: Reader x Zhuo Zhi
World: TV, Prince of Tennis ~ Match! Tennis Juniors ~
Table of Contents
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You looked through the large window by the table you sat at, smiling at the nature outside. The trees were bright, their leaves varying in color between red, orange, and brown. Many had already fallen to the ground, turning soft as the rain pelted them. The sky was dark despite being only five in the afternoon, making the day appear a soft grey. It had been raining a lot lately, making it difficult for Yu Qing to practice properly. It wasn't a downpour so they could technically practice outside, but combining the rain with the chilly wind made for a dangerous combination and the players couldn't afford to get sick.
A hand rested on your shoulder, tugging you from your thoughts. You jumped in surprise, head whipping around to look at the offender, who was smirking at your fright. "You scared the crap out of me."
Zhou Zhi smirked as he sat down across from you. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you." But the amused glint in his eye said he didn't regret the fact that he had. "How are you feeling?"
You frowned, putting your hand over your stomach which was still hurting. You've been suffering from a stomach bug the past few days but it wasn't bad enough that your parents would allow you to skip school. In a way, you were grateful for that because your friends made recovery a lot easier.
"I still feel sick and I can't really eat anything."
His smirk fell at this. "You can't recover if you don't eat, YN. You have to force yourself, even if it's something small."
His concern made your heart flutter. "I ate an egg this morning and I promise I'll try to eat some soup when I get home, mamma bird."
The nickname made him chuckle and he nodded his head in approval. "Good."
The glass doors were pushed open as Jiale, Chen, Lu Xia, and Baiyang entered the restaurant. Zhi raised his hand to get their attention and they headed over, easily filling up the table. On the left side, Chen sat by the window with Lu Xia beside him and then you at the end. On the right was Jiale by the window, then Baiyang and Zhi at the end.
"I wish it would stop raining," Jiale pouted, shaking his head to rid himself of the tiny drops clinging to his hair. "It's so dreary outside!"
"I think it's beautiful," you commented, grinning at him when he sent you a disbelieving look. "The rain is peaceful and calming."
"You can only say that because you're not an athlete," Chen retorted, shaking his finger. "So you see it differently than we do."
"I suppose."
Zhi hummed, thoughtfully, watching the rain pelt the window before sliding across the glass. "I can see both sides. It's frustrating that we can't practice outside, but the rain certainly makes for beautiful pictures."
"Right!" you agreed with a nod. "Though my pics usually end up terrible."
"I can teach you, if you'd like."
You fought against the heat trying to overtake your cheeks. "I... wouldn't want to impose on you. I know you're super busy."
He leaned forward, enjoying how embarrassed he could make you. "You could never impose on me, Y/N."
Baiyang suddenly stood up, approaching the counter without a word to the rest of the group.
"Do you think he'll order for us, too?" Jiale wondered, hopefully.
"Not a chance," you laughed.
In response, the boys jumped up and rushed after him, cutting him in line despite his protests. You were left alone with Zhi again, aware that he was watching you curiously. It's not like you didn't enjoy the attention from him, but his gaze was intense and always left you feeling as if he could see right down to your soul. Every tiny little movement, every breath you took, every thought - you were sure he noticed it all and it made you scared to move. What if you unconsciously did something that disgusted him?
You tried to ignore the feeling, your eyes scanning the room to observe the other patrons. There were more people huddled inside due to the rain, not ordering anything as they waited for the rain to pass. No one really stood out to you, at first, until your eyes landed on a handsome man standing beside the door. Something felt off about him and you felt goosebumps rising across your skin. After years of life, you had learned to always trust your gut and your gut did not like this man.
Or maybe it was just the bug that had your instincts all out of whack. What was so wrong about him? He seemed like just any, average businessman. He was tall, with dark hair slicked to the side with hair gel. A dark blue suit covered his body with a black trench coat on top to help block out the rain.
Zhi followed your line of sight and founded himself frowning. He did so hate it when you looked at other men, especially handsome ones. While the two of you were not dating, it was clear that there was attraction between the two of you on both sides. He loved to tease you, to see if you would confess to him but there were times, like now, when he questioned himself. Was the fun worth it if you never confessed and decided to move on to someone else?
You watched as a teenage boy entered the restaurant, meeting eyes with the mysterious man as he passed by, settling down at the table in the corner. The man waited a moment before pushing away from the wall and approaching the teen, settling down across from him and facing in your direction. Something seemed wrong about this.
"Y/N," Zhi called, trying to get your attention back on himself. "Do you still need help with your homework?"
"Oh, yes. Please." You smiled at him, reaching for your bag that sat between you and your chair, pulling out the workbook and your favorite pen.
"Show me what you don't understand and I'll explain." He leaned forward on the table, looking at you expectantly.
"Um, well..." You gave him a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of your neck. "All of it?"
He covered his mouth as he chuckled, nodding his head in understanding. He switched seats, sitting down beside you, so close that his arm pressed against your own. "We'll start from the top, then." He started to explain the problem and, at first, you were able to follow along with ease, but you found yourself glancing over at the mysterious man.
He reached into his coat, pulling out what looked like a piece of rolled up parchment which he started to unfurl across the table. It lasted only a second, but his eyes flickered to an inky blackness from one corner to the other.
"Holy shit..." you breathed out softly, finally realizing why this man felt so off to you. 'He's a demon...'
"What's wrong?" Jiale questioned as he reclaimed his seat, the others following close behind. "Is Zhou Zhi boring you to death with his tutoring?"
"N-No, not at all!" You replied hurriedly, waving your hand back and forth. "He's a good tutor. I actually understand the material when he's explaining it. It's just..."
"Just what?" Chen asked through a mouthful of burger.
What would they think if you told them that a demon was sitting just three tables away, possibly making a deal for the soul of an unsuspecting teenage boy? You knew you wouldn't receive a good response for that story and you highly doubted they would even believe you. Hell, you weren't even completely sure that you believed it and you had just seen it! You bit your lip, twirling the pen nervously. It had lasted only a second... maybe you had imagined it.
"Y/N?" Zhi rested his hand over your own, a worried look on his face. "What's wrong?"
You shook your head and offered him a smile, enjoying the warmth of his skin against yours. "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."
"Are you feeling worse? If you are, you need to go home and get some rest."
"No, I'm fine. I promise."
The genius wasn't convinced but knew how stubborn you could be so he decided to just let it go and monitor you closely. He continued to explain the next problem but you definitely weren't paying attention now. You just couldn't let this go and you didn't understand why. On the off chance that this man truly was a demon, what could you do about? You were no Winchester by any stretch of the imagination, even though you had watched nine out of the fifteen seasons of Supernatural.
You glanced at the red tray that sat between you and Lu Xia. Tiny packs of salt sat in the corner closest to you and you wondered if it would be effective, but you doubted that there was enough to make a difference. What if you scribbled an anti-possession symbol on your hand? No, that would just open up the others to possession and they didn't even know what he was.
'I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't even know if he is a demon.' You covered your mouth and turned your head away from the group, making a slight cough to cover your whisper. "Cristo."
The man's head snapped up, eyes pitch black as they stared right at you.
'Shit, he really is a demon!'
The man said something to the boy without moving his eyes from you. He stood up and blinked, his eyes returning to normal as he approached your table. Zhi felt your body tense up and frowned, following your gaze to the man.
"You've gone really pale," Lu Xia noted, looking over at you with a blank expression. This caught the attention of the other boys, but they didn't have time to comment on it because the man was now standing at the end of the table, right beside you.
"Sorry to bother," he spoke up, his voice smooth like silk. "I'm conducting some business with a client and my pen stopped working. Won't you allow me to borrow yours?"
Though it was phrased like a question, you knew it was a demand. He didn't need the damn pen, it was a power move to let you know what you were dealing with. The words echoed in your mind repeatedly and it felt as if he were inside your head, trying to take control of you. Your hand was shaking because it wanted so desperately to comply and hand over the pen but you refused to let him win, your fingers holding it tightly.
You narrowed your eyes at it. It took everything in you to refuse and even then, you could only manage a shaky, "No."
He looked surprised that his power didn't seem to affect you, but he wasn't one to give up without a fight. He offered you a charming smile. "Oh, come now. I only need it for a moment and I promise to take good care of it."
You were aware of the boys watching the exchange, unsure of how to respond.
The man's power was increasing, getting stronger inside your head. You took a deep breath, trying to clear your mind. "I said... no."
He was getting annoyed now, his charming façade slipping. "Don't be a selfish brat. Give it to me." He reached for the pen and you shot up, the chair scraping against the floor before it fell back with a loud thump. This gained the attention of the other patrons, all looking on to see what was happening, but you didn't even notice them.
"I will not give you my pen, you demon! I would gladly fight and die for this pen. Are you willing to do the same?" You questioned with a glare, not giving him even a moment to consider it. "I didn't think so. No, get away before I go all Winchester on your ass!"
His eye twitched in annoyance and he started forward to teach you a lesson, but he was well aware of all the eyes on him. Demon or not, it wasn't a wise decision to cause a scene in front of so many witnesses. Demons were becoming few and far between and it would be disastrous to show his existence now. He took a step back, forcing a smile. "That's a bit dramatic, don't you think? Fine, I got the message. I do apologize for bothering you."
You were breathing heavily by the time he finally walked away. The haze on your mind was starting to lift, leaving a headache behind in its wake.
Zhi stood up to put the chair back upright before gently prompting you to sit back down, which you did with a huff. He reclaimed his own seat, watching you closely.
"Holy crap..." Chen broke the silence, staring at you with wide eyes. "I've never seen you act so aggressively before!"
You gave your friends a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of your neck. "I'm sorry... I guess I'm just in a bad mood because of my stomach..."
Jiale leaned forward with a hum, his eyes shifting to the pen still clutched in your hand. "That pen must be really special to you."
You slowly opened your hand, seeing the pen's indent in your skin from how tightly you had held it. Looking at filled you with warmth each time even though it didn't look like anything special. It looked like any old run of the mill ballpoint pen, but it was definitely special to you. "It is... very special."
"But why?" Lu Xia questioned, surprising you that he was interested.
You looked at your friends, your eyes finally locking with Zhi's and your cheeks started to warm up. He glanced at the pen for a moment before looking back at you with realization in his eyes and a smile on his lips. He had remembered.
You cleared your throat, looking away from him. "Well... when I first came to Yu Qing, I was struggling to adjust and I was generally pretty stressed out. One day, this older student approached me and asked if I was okay, if I needed help with anything. He was probably just doing his student as my upperclassman, but... he was so kind to me and he was breathtakingly beautiful. I couldn't believe he was even talking to me. I definitely -"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Baiyang interrupted with a furrowed brow.
Chen scoffed, spraying bits of chewed burger onto Jiale who made a disgusted face. "Keep up, idiot. It's obvious that that guy gave Y/N the pen."
"Who are you calling an idiot, you idiot?" Baiyang growled, glaring daggers at the brunette.
"You're the only idiot here, idiot."
"Do you wanna fight, idiot?"
"I'll destroy you no problem, idiot."
The two boys were standing now, leaning toward one another. Their bodies formed a triangle of space between them which Jiale ducked down to peer through at you. "So, who is this beautiful guy?"
That got them to stop arguing and they looked at you expectantly.
"Um..." You glanced at Zhi, biting your lip. Could you admit it out loud? I mean, you basically had already when you described the encounter. You knew that Zhi remembered it.
He reached for your hand under the table, linking his fingers through your own as he offered a smile to his teammates. "Let's not push. If Y/N doesn't want us to know, we shouldn't push the subject."
"That's boring," Jiale pouted, popping a fry into his mouth. "I was looking forward to playing matchmaker."
He hummed. "Something tells me there's no need for that."
"Eh? What do you mean?"
But he didn't reply, he just met your eyes and smiled, giving your hand a squeeze before leaning closer, his lips brushing against your ear. "Breathtakingly beautiful, huh?"
Your cheeks burned and he chuckled.
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